The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has identified 77 railway stretches across 14 states as priority areas for mitigation measures aimed at reducing elephant deaths caused by train collisions.
The decision was taken following a two-day national workshop on “Policy Implementation for Minimizing Elephant Mortalities on Railway Tracks”, organised by the ministry’s Project Elephant Division in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in Dehradun on March 10 and 11.
Around 40 participants, including officials from the Ministry of Railways, state forest departments from elephant-range states, conservation scientists and representatives from multiple railway zones, attended the workshop.
India Home to Over 60% of Global Asian Elephants
According to the Environment Ministry, India is home to more than 60 per cent of the global population of the Asian Elephant. However, expanding railway infrastructure and habitat fragmentation have increased the number of elephant deaths on railway tracks.
Such incidents have been reported in several states including Assam, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.
Officials said 110 sensitive railway stretches across elephant habitats and 17 additional stretches in two tiger-range states were identified through joint assessments by Project Elephant, WII, Indian Railways and state forest departments.
77 High-Risk Railway Stretches Prioritised
Field surveys covering 127 railway stretches and around 3,452.4 km of track resulted in the prioritisation of 77 stretches spanning about 1,965.2 km based on wildlife movement patterns and the risk of train collisions.
The mitigation plan proposes 705 structures to enable safe wildlife passage across railway tracks, including:
- 503 ramps and level crossings
- 72 bridge extensions or modifications
- 39 fencing or trenching structures
- 4 exit ramps
- 65 underpasses
- 22 overpasses
Wildlife-Friendly Infrastructure in New Railway Projects
Wildlife-friendly infrastructure is also being incorporated into several new and expanded railway projects.
These include the Gevra Road–Pendra Road railway line in Chhattisgarh, which passes through the Achanakmar–Amarkantak elephant corridor, the Darekasa–Salekasa track tripling project and the Nagbhid–Itwari gauge conversion project in Maharashtra, and the Wadsa–Gadchiroli railway line intersecting the Kanha–Navegaon–Tadoba–Indravati tiger corridor.
A major intervention is planned along a 3.5-km sensitive stretch of the Azara–Kamakhya railway line in Assam, which cuts across the Rani–Garbhanga–Deepor Beel elephant corridor where several elephant deaths have been recorded. Authorities have proposed elevating this section of the railway track to allow safe elephant movement across the corridor.
AI and Technology to Prevent Elephant-Train Collisions
Authorities are also testing technology-based systems to reduce wildlife–train collisions.
A Distributed Acoustic System (DAS)-based intrusion detection system has been installed in four sections under the Northeast Frontier Railway in Assam. The system currently covers 64.03 km of elephant corridors and 141 km of railway block sections and is being expanded to parts of North Bengal and Odisha.
Another pilot initiative in Madukkarai in Tamil Nadu uses an AI-based early warning system equipped with thermal and motion-sensing cameras mounted on 12 towers. The system detects elephant movement within 100 metres of railway tracks and alerts railway and forest officials so that trains can slow down and allow animals to cross safely.
Experts Call for Stronger Coordination
During the workshop, participants discussed factors contributing to elephant–train collisions, including habitat fragmentation, land-use changes, high train speeds, night operations and seasonal elephant movements.
Regional working groups examined mitigation strategies across major elephant landscapes such as the Shivalik-Gangetic Plains, Central India and Eastern Ghats, the North-East and the Western Ghats.
Experts emphasised the need for stronger coordination between railway authorities, forest departments and scientific institutions, along with standardised protocols for risk assessment, monitoring and rapid response.
They also recommended expanding early warning systems, wildlife crossings, improved signage and data-sharing mechanisms, while highlighting research priorities such as AI-based detection systems and remote sensing tools to reduce elephant-train collisions in the future.
